2008 Woodie Awards
Gold-medal winning alum visits SJSU
Eric Zimmerling
Issue date: 3/8/07 Section: News
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"I was going to die doing something right."
Those were the words of Tommie Smith as he recalled standing atop the Olympic podium with his fist raised high in the air after receiving the gold medal during the 1968 Olympic Games.
Smith, who won gold in the 200-meter race, is currently an educator and activist for civil rights and alumni of San Jose State University.
Smith spoke with nearly 100 students and faculty in room 189 of the Engineering building on Tuesday.
The one-hour event sponsored by Soka Lion-Buddhists for Peace Club at SJSU entitled "Unlocking the Human Potential," featured Smith speaking about his past while inspirationally urging students to make a positive impact on society through their education.
Greg Hansen, a freshman majoring in occupational therapy, was inspired by Smith's lecture.
"It was enlightening, empowering and inspirational," Hansen said. "I knew there was a statue on campus of Smith but I didn't know why, so I came here. Hearing him tell his story and listening to the inspirational words he had for us was great. I'm glad I came."
Smith briefly described his life before making his way to the Olympics where he performed the "silent gesture heard around the world."
"My self-esteem as a child was low," Smith said. "I didn't see pavement until I was five years old - didn't see white folks until I was seven. My fourth grade teacher told me that the sun doesn't shine on folks like us."
Smith said he used that negativity to fuel his fire of success that he found at the 1968 Olympic Games where he won a gold medal.
Smith said he used his nationwide spotlight to send a message to the world by raising his right fist in the air along with bronze-medal winning African-American John Carlos which was a bold statement in the midst of heavy racial segregation in the 1960's.
"I did it as a sign of social change, not black power," Smith said. "If you look back at figures of that century that tried to change society like Martin Luther King Jr., where is he now? Dead. It was something that was hard but I was going to die doing something right."
Those were the words of Tommie Smith as he recalled standing atop the Olympic podium with his fist raised high in the air after receiving the gold medal during the 1968 Olympic Games.
Smith, who won gold in the 200-meter race, is currently an educator and activist for civil rights and alumni of San Jose State University.
Smith spoke with nearly 100 students and faculty in room 189 of the Engineering building on Tuesday.
The one-hour event sponsored by Soka Lion-Buddhists for Peace Club at SJSU entitled "Unlocking the Human Potential," featured Smith speaking about his past while inspirationally urging students to make a positive impact on society through their education.
Greg Hansen, a freshman majoring in occupational therapy, was inspired by Smith's lecture.
"It was enlightening, empowering and inspirational," Hansen said. "I knew there was a statue on campus of Smith but I didn't know why, so I came here. Hearing him tell his story and listening to the inspirational words he had for us was great. I'm glad I came."
Smith briefly described his life before making his way to the Olympics where he performed the "silent gesture heard around the world."
"My self-esteem as a child was low," Smith said. "I didn't see pavement until I was five years old - didn't see white folks until I was seven. My fourth grade teacher told me that the sun doesn't shine on folks like us."
Smith said he used that negativity to fuel his fire of success that he found at the 1968 Olympic Games where he won a gold medal.
Smith said he used his nationwide spotlight to send a message to the world by raising his right fist in the air along with bronze-medal winning African-American John Carlos which was a bold statement in the midst of heavy racial segregation in the 1960's.
"I did it as a sign of social change, not black power," Smith said. "If you look back at figures of that century that tried to change society like Martin Luther King Jr., where is he now? Dead. It was something that was hard but I was going to die doing something right."
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